TWO PROJECTS OF FARHAD AHMADI

I.R. Iran Chancery, Seoul, South Korea

The Iran Chancery in Seoul represents one of the most significant diplomatic architectural projects designed by Iranian architects abroad. Farhad Ahmadi’s design for the chancery building creates a powerful dialogue between Iranian architectural identity and contemporary international design language. The building’s concrete facade, punctuated by a distinctive arrow-shaped window element, serves as both a functional opening and a symbolic gesture connecting traditional Iranian architectural motifs with modern construction techniques.

The building’s cross-section reveals an innovative approach to natural ventilation and climate control, incorporating buffer zones and air vents that draw from traditional Iranian passive cooling strategies adapted for Seoul’s continental climate. The interior features a dramatic double-height atrium space with glass walls and steel structure that floods the building with natural light while maintaining visual connections between the different programmatic zones.

The structural system combines reinforced concrete walls with an exposed steel truss roof structure visible through the glass curtain wall. The interior spaces are organized around the central atrium, which serves as both a circulation hub and a representational space for diplomatic functions. The material palette emphasizes raw concrete, steel, and glass, creating an atmosphere of institutional dignity while allowing for natural light penetration throughout the building.

Model photographs and construction documentation reveal the complexity of the design process, which involved extensive study of the building’s relationship to its urban context in Seoul and the need to express Iranian cultural identity through architectural form rather than decorative ornament.

I.R. Iran Ambassador Residence, Seoul, South Korea

The Ambassador’s Residence, designed alongside the chancery, takes a more intimate approach while maintaining the same architectural vocabulary. The residence is organized around a central courtyard that references the traditional Iranian garden typology, adapted for the Korean context. The building’s concrete and stone exterior walls enclose a world of refined domestic spaces that blend Iranian hospitality traditions with modern residential comfort.

The ground floor plan reveals a sophisticated organization of public and private zones. The formal reception areas face the garden, while service spaces are discretely arranged along the building’s perimeter. The upper floors contain the private family quarters, organized to maximize natural light and views while maintaining privacy from the street. Interior photographs show spaces that combine traditional Iranian materials and proportions with contemporary furnishing, including a hammam-inspired bathroom and a grand reception hall with views to the garden.